500 Dollars - Elizabeth II 4th Portrait - Australian Stock Horse - Gold Bullion Coin

The Australian Stock Horse breed traces directly to the Waler horses exported from New South Wales to British India and later to the Boer War, where their endurance under extreme conditions made them militarily invaluable. Australia culled its remaining Walers at the end of World War I rather than ship them home, a decision that still generates controversy. The Stock Horse stud book was only formally established in 1971, making it a relatively young registry for an animal with a two-century working history.

The 2017 issue belongs to Perth's five-ounce gold bullion series, where mintages are typically kept low by design rather than circumstance.